At the recent AAAAI/WAO meeting, Blueprint Medicines Corp. presented the in vitro and in vivo characterization of BLU-808, a selective inhibitor of wild-type KIT, a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase involved in mast cell activation, proliferation and chemotaxis.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) is a member of the STAT family involved in the regulation of immune response and inflammation. The development of SH2 domain inhibitors targeting STAT6 may help prevent and treat allergic diseases, asthma, atopic dermatitis or other Th2-driven immune conditions. Researchers from Recludix Pharma Inc. have presented the preclinical profiles of REX-8756 and REX-4671, two STAT6 inhibitors being developed in partnership with Sanofi SA.

Akeso Inc. has received IND approval by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for AK-139, an IL-4Rα/ST2 bispecific antibody under investigation for a number of indications, including respiratory and skin diseases.

Oxidative stress plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of upper and lower respiratory tract diseases, such as chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), allergic rhinitis (AR), and asthma (AS). In the current study, researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and affiliated organizations aimed to assess the role of the essential antioxidant enzyme, heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1), in these airway diseases.